Johnnie Mae Clara Hines was the daughter of Andrew Ausberry "Berry" Rhodes Hines and Julia Corelious Metilda Frances Counts, "Aunt Julie". She was born August 1863 in Mississippi and raised by the Counts family. Berry was born April April 18, 1855 in Alabama and raised by the Ausberry Family and his slave master Berry to read and write, which was quite unsual for that era. Berry and Aunt Julie had 11 children, Lula, Rubin, Sherman Willy Mitchell, Eulah, Odell, Clara -born November 21, 1903 , Yaugurrtha,
Flossie and Hernando Desoto.
Clara and her siblings attended a little one room school house with a pot bellied stove, that also served as a church on Sunday, so instead of desks, they had pews to sit at. The school grades were taught up to the eight grade.
When shen finished the eight grade, she wanted to continue her education, so her mother sold the family organ to Antioch Freewill Baptist Church for $50. Clara went to Tupelo, Mississippi to Training Scool until the 10th grade and then she went to Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee to continue her education and got her high school dipolma. After this she went to Oklalona Junior College and then to Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi where she received a bachelor's of science degree in history. While going to school, Clara did all kinds of jobs to finance her studies including hoeing and picking cotton and taking in people's wash.
Clara married Sam Mcclusky, who was from the Cherokee, Alabama area.They lived in the Panola County, where she taught school and he was a cement finisher.
In all, She taught elementart school for 27 years. After her husbands' death in 1960, 2 of her brothers, Sherman and Odell Hines persuaded her to move back to the homeplace in Burnsville. Since Their death deaths several years ago, she has been on her on. Several |
